The Blog for AshevilleFM's WordPlay,
a radio show devoted to poets and writers,
their craft and ideas.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Latest Show

What can I say? We've got a nice little rhythm going. How fun to play with Jeff and Laura! We seem able to truly go with the flow, making up the format of the show a few minutes before we go on. This Sunday Laura suggested we use WCW's famous remark about people dying for lack of poetry. Then, without us trying, all the poems we read seemed to revolve around her central question: what is it about poetry do we need? Jeff read all James Wright poems, three of his most famous, including "A Blessing." Laura read Agha Shahid Ali and a couple others. I read mostly jazz poems from the upcoming Asheville Poetry Review.

We all look forward to Glenis' presence in the studio. I hope to take over the board next time so Jeff can join Laura and Glenis on the other side of the mic.

What I like most about the show so far is the ease with which we communicate. There's a lot of laughing. We still have a lot to learn, and my wife Ali seemed to think we had too many long pauses. But Laura's idea of naming poems after we read them, and giving book titles, etc. should help. I read one poem without mentioning the author. I'll do it here. The Chick Corea poem was by Matthew Dickman, who has a chapbook due out this fall from Q Ave Press. Keep an ear and an eye for this young poet. Tony Hoagland writes that he has some of the deepest pockets of the young poets working today. I tend to agree. Positively Whitmanesque.